Doc Martin, which will soon be coming out with a fifth series, has an amazing story behind it, one which many of the show's U.S. fans probably don't know. Spun off from a non-integral character in the 2000 film Saving Grace, Doc Martin first went on to television movies which focused on Martin Clunes' character, who was then not quite so brash, and was suffering from a cheating wife, rather than a fear of blood.
In Saving Grace, Doc Martin is simply the local doctor, and rather a fun-loving one at that. The first Doc Martin movie introduces us to Dr. Martin Bamford, a London obstetrician who soon learns that his wife is having affairs with at least his three best friends. He ventures to Port Isaac (the same actual location in all three incarnations, later to be known as Portwenn) to get away from his life. He takes up with a lobster fisherman, just because he has nothing else to do, and has no more plan than to simply make it through the next few days.
He is quickly caught up in local affairs, as certain village residents believe he may somehow be involved in the mysterious delivery to the townsfolk of jellies which contain incriminating evidence. That's a tough sentence to wrap your head around, but basically, someone is leaving jellies (or Jell-Os) that have photographs or other incriminating evidence of their misdeeds inside them.
Martin wrestles with the wasteland his life seems to be, but he quickly falls for the charm and simplicity (and even quirkiness) of life in a small, Cornish village. It's a very different dynamic from the constant battle with the locals we're used to, but it's filled with the same sparks of wit and fun, even if this a very different character wearing the mantle.
The second film finds Martin trying anything, including Cornish superstition, to get the house he has his eye on before another couple can close the deal and put up a tourist retreat.
Despite the different perspective, Martin Clunes delivers the same depth of character, wit, and overpowering likability that has made Doc Martin such a success. The release doesn't have anything in the bells and whistles department, but this is still one any fan of the series ought to pick up. The angle may be different, but it's clearly cut from the same cloth that has viewers inescapably drawn to locale and characters of the series.
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Featuring the two full-length films that inspired the huge hit dramedy currently airing on PBS stations across the U.S., Doc Martin: The Movies debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on August 30, 2011, proving there’s more than one way to tell a good story. BAFTA-winner Martin Clunes (Men Behaving Badly, Shakespeare in Love, Dirty Tricks, Reggie Perrin) stars as the kinder, gentler— but still slightly grouchy—Dr. Martin Bamford in the made-for-TV movies that introduced the misanthropic doctor and the picturesque Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac (later called Portwenn) before the television series’ launch in 2004. The 2-disc boxed set includes Doc Martin and Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie.
Martin Clunes stars in both feature-length films as Dr. Martin Bamford, an obstetrician whose reasons for leaving London are more personal than professional. Unlike ornery surgeon Dr. Ellingham from the new TV series, he’s not rude, irascible, or socially inept—he even smiles! But we get glimpses of his selfishness, short temper, and distaste for dogs.
In the first Doc Martin movie, the doctor flees to a coastal village to reassess his marriage and his career. In Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie, he resorts to camouflage, subterfuge, and folk magic to get what he wants: a secluded house in the country away from his nosy neighbors in town. Also starring Tristan Sturrock (Saving Grace, Bad Girls), Anna Chancellor (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Fortysomething) and Pam Ferris (Rosemary & Thyme).
The Doc Martin TV series is a huge hit in the U.K. with 9 million viewers and a fifth series commissioned, and is syndicated by American Public Television (APT) in the U.S. Acorn Media previously released Doc Martin Collection: Series 1-4 in April 2011 and Series 2 – 4 in individual sets between 2009-2010.
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
